


everything that drowns me (makes me wanna fly)

by stupidwolves



Series: hashtag zoluweek2k18 [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Canon Compliant, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Slash, Pre-Time Skip, i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 16:03:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15392382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupidwolves/pseuds/stupidwolves
Summary: If Zoro dies of a heart attack in the middle of all this mess, he’s absolutely going to make Luffy cut his stomach open as an apology.





	everything that drowns me (makes me wanna fly)

**Author's Note:**

> **day one:** adventure
> 
> first zolu fic i ever wrote and it's for zoluweek2k18!!
> 
> (im very nervous but i hope at least one person will like this sdjsdak)

_I’m the man who’ll become the Pirate King!_

 

They all should have seen it coming.

 

 _He_ should have seen it coming, honestly.

 

Luffy’s penchant for attracting trouble is, together with his stubbornness, the main reason why Zoro even ended up joining his pirate crew – lacking as it was at the time. Deep down, Zoro knows he can’t say everything turning to shit _this soon_ after reaching Loguetown is a surprise at all, not unless he’s okay with lying to himself.

 

There’s this rhythmic _thump-a-thumping_ , annoyingly pushing against his ribcage, that he ignores in favor or cutting down marine after marine after marine – if only just so he can arrive in time to cut down the execution stand.

 

 _You damn moron_ , he force-projects his thoughts to Luffy as another giant marine falls to one of his newest blades. It’s a pity he can’t even take the time to appreciate its sharpness, can’t feel any joy in defeating his opponents; all he can think of is how _small_ Luffy looks on that stand, trapped between those stupid pieces of wood, smiling without a care in his last moments before being decapitated.

 

It just sounds so _wrong_ , using the word small to describe his captain.

 

Luffy is larger than life, emanates grandness and promises of fun and excitement and endless adventures and epic tales and amazing discoveries without even _trying_. One can tell he means what he says and _will_ make good on his words neither sooner nor later, but when the time is just right.

 

And it’s _funny_ , in a way that isn’t funny at all, that Luffy might not even be aware of what he’s doing.

 

Zoro _knows_ all that – has known the moment Luffy came back with his swords while sporting the brightest grin he’s ever seen until then, when they fought side by side against the marines with the kind of synchronism only found in decade-old partners, when they won against the marines, when Luffy agreed to his terms before joining his crew without a single hint of hesitation. And yet –

 

And _yet_ he desperately fights his way through the crowd, dread clawing its way into existence, rational thoughts thrown out the window because Luffy is about to _die_. And it’s just a glimpse, but Zoro sees his captain’s unabashed smile and knows it’s not for show, knows Luffy isn’t toughing it up as a way to spite Buggy and Alvida and anyone else who wants him dead and gone, and it makes anger bubble up inside him for reasons Zoro refuses to think about – at least not until this is all over and they’re all sailing away from this island.

 

“Sorry,” Luffy’s voice is the softest Zoro’s has ever heard, and he pushes himself harder to get to his captain, “But it looks like I’m dead.”

 

Zoro almost snaps his head when he turns to look at him, and the idiot hasn’t stopped smiling at all. If Zoro dies of a heart attack in the middle of all this mess, he’s absolutely going to make Luffy cut his stomach open as an apology.

 

“What–” he starts saying, and the back of his mind acknowledges Sanji is also screaming something at Luffy, but Zoro can’t be bothered to pay attention to anything else until his captain is – _his captain_ –

 

Lightning strikes.

 

The execution stand catches on fire, rain falls, and silence yells on Zoro’s ear as everything seems to stop for a small eternity before the straw hat gently lands on the ground. Luffy picks up his beloved treasure, puts it back on his head, and simply laughs the entire situation off.

 

“Looks like I did survive!” he grins and pats on his hat proudly, “How lucky.”

 

Zoro sighs, all the tension washing away from his body, and he sheathes his swords before stepping closer to Luffy.

 

“Hey…” Sanji waves vaguely at Luffy’s direction, “Do you believe in God?”

 

“Enough talking and lets leave town already,” Zoro is too busy feeling relieved that Luffy is alive and well to care about searching for an answer to what just happened – besides remembering that they’ve a scene big enough to warrant the marines’ intervention, “We’ve got more trouble heading our way.”

 

Timing remains a curious thing, and the marines are quick in their pursuit of the Strawhat Pirates. Luffy remains unconcerned, because of course he does, and adrenaline is running too high for Zoro to even try yelling at his captain for that. They need to get to Merry more than Luffy needs some sense knocked into him right now, is what Zoro settles in his mind.

 

He’s sure they’re close to their ship – they’re just running straight ahead at full speed with no detours, _surely_ even he can’t get lost that easily… he hopes – when Sanji lets out a rather annoying exclamation. Someone is standing in their way, a person not big enough to block the path, but with an aura with enough violent intent to make Zoro alert.

 

“Roronoa Zoro!” she yells at him while the marines behind them call her name, and Zoro remembers having her choose his new swords.

 

Remembers trying to forget how much she looks like Kuina.

 

He tells Luffy to go ahead, and his captain does so because he trusts Zoro, knows that he’s got this. They trade blows and exchange words, and he can’t quite focus properly because she says and acts _just like Kuina_ , but _Kuina is dead_ and his brain can’t make sense of that while still processing the fact that _Luffy almost died just a few moments ago_ , and he has to catch up with his crew and.

 

She yells at him and he yells right back and they keep at it way too long for his liking, and then he’s done with this damn stupid circus act he let himself be a part of when he should be running away. Whether she calls for him or not isn’t something he concerns himself with.

 

Unsurprisingly, Zoro finds Luffy in _another_ mess – because it’s _Luffy_ and this is just the order of things at this point, he figures –, stumbling his way to the Merry. As if already second nature to Zoro, he picks his captain by the back of his shirt without a second of hesitation.

 

(The thought of why he does this so naturally doesn’t even cross mind once, and it won’t come up when they’re on the clear either.)

 

Nami and Usopp are waiting for them, yelling at the top of their lungs, urging them to get on board quickly. They set sail in no time, the sound of rain coming down hard and muffling Usopp’s nervous laughter as Loguetown gets smaller and smaller, until it disappears completely from their sights.

 

The storm is still strong, yet everyone in the ship couldn’t feel more excited. As if to prove the sentiment, Luffy throws one fist up in celebration. He has no worries about the fact that he’s sitting at the edge of the ship, or that the waves are crashing down, _hard_ , or even that there is a real possibility of him falling into the sea.

 

He looks back at Zoro, the grin on his lips not only expected but also very much welcomed. Zoro smiles back and, again, it’s like second nature for him by now. The dread and worry are long gone, and he catches himself wondering if there ever was a reason for their existence at all.

 

Monkey D. Luffy is the man who will become the Pirate King, so a setback as insignificant as this cannot – _will not_ – stop him in any way, shape, or form imaginable. It’s obvious now, glaringly so as all the Strawhat Pirates reiterate their dreams and break the barrel previously holding the weight of their feet.

 

 _Monkey D. Luffy is the man who will become the Pirate King_. Of this, Zoro knows to be true.

 

Of this, Zoro knows, _deep down_ , to be the moment he decides he’ll do everything to make it true.

**Author's Note:**

> english isn't my first language, so if u see any mistakes pls tell me so i can fix it!!
> 
> also thank you so much for reading!!


End file.
